1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a package unit for packing a developing agent container storing a developing agent for an image forming apparatus. More particularly, the present general inventive concept relates to a package unit usable with a developing agent container capable of preventing a developing agent stored in a developing agent storing portion of the developing agent container from leaning to one side thereof and cohering, a packing receptacle, and a method of packing a developing agent container in the packing receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus of an electrostatic latent image type, such as a laser printer, a facsimile machine, a composite apparatus, and the like, has been widely used not only in companies requiring a lot of printing work but also in homes due to high speed and high quality printing, and a relatively low price thereof.
The image forming apparatus of an electrostatic latent image type uses an exposure unit, such as an LSU, LED, etc., to scan a light beam onto a photosensitive medium, thereby forming electrostatic latent images thereon. Developing agent, such as toner, etc., is supplied to the photosensitive medium by a supplying member and a developing member, thereby developing the electrostatic latent images. The developed images are transferred onto a printing medium, and then fused thereon. After that, the printing medium having the fused image thereon is discharged. During this process, at least one member of the module referred to as a developing cartridge including the photosensitive medium, the developing member, the supplying member, and a developing agent storing portion, etc. may have a shorter lifespan compared to the rest of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, when one member of the developing cartridge becomes worn and useless, it needs to be replaced.
Accordingly, the developing cartridge is manufactured and sold separately from the rest of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, a user buys a new developing cartridge and can easily replace the worn developing cartridge with the new one.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional packing receptacle 1 for a standard developing cartridge 2. Referring to FIG. 1, the developing cartridge 2 may be put in a sealing bag 3, opposite ends of the developing cartridge 2 are received by preventing members 4, and then, the developing cartridge 2 is inserted in an outer packing box 6.
The conventional packing receptacle 1 generally has no problem containing the developing cartridge 2.
However, when the packing receptacle 1 is carried so that the developing cartridge 2 is set vertically, i.e., the direction of its longitudinal axis is vertically aligned, a problem can arise (as illustrated at FIG. 2). When the developing cartridge 2 is positioned vertically, a developing agent, contained inside, may collect at the bottom of the developing cartridge, such as the position indicated by reference letter C in FIG. 2. The developing agent is composed of powder, and it is cohesive. So if the developing cartridge 2 has been set in the longitudinal axis direction (as indicated by gravitational force, F) for a long time during distribution thereof, the developing agent inside the developing cartridge 2 becomes problematically cohesive. Especially, when the packing receptacle 1 passes through a high temperature region or continuously receives vibration as the developing cartridge 2 is set in the longitudinal axis direction thereof, the developing agent is tamped and cohesive. For example, the glass transition temperature of the developing agent generally is approximately 60°. Therefore, when the developing cartridge 2 that is sealed in the sealing bag 3 and packed in the packing receptacle 1 passes through an equatorial region, the temperature inside the sealing bag 3 is easily increased over 60° so that physical properties of the developing agent are changed. These environmental effects exacerbate the cohesion problem of the developing agent. When the developing cartridge 2 is carried in the longitudinal axis direction instead of, for example, horizontally (indicated by axis B at FIG. 2), the developing agent in the developing cartridge 2 continuously receives vibration so that the cohesion of the developing agent is also accelerated.
FIG. 2 illustrates a force, F, operating on the developing cartridge 2 when the developing cartridge 2 is packed using the conventional packing receptacle 1 and is set in the longitudinal axis direction thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the developing cartridge 2 is set in the longitudinal axis direction thereof during distribution, the developing agent gathers at the bottom of the developing cartridge due to gravity, so that the cohesive force of the developing agent is increased.
The conventional packing receptacle 1 may have an inner packing and the outer packing box 6 enclosing it. The outer packing box 6 generally has a hexahedron shape. Therefore, when the packing receptacle 1 packed with the developing cartridge 2 is carried, one of six side surfaces of the outer packing box 6 becomes a bottom surface thereof. Therefore, the developing cartridge 2 in the packing receptacle 1 assumes six postures as any one of the six side surfaces of the outer packing box 6 is the bottom surface thereof. In two postures among the six postures thereof, the developing cartridge 2 is set in the longitudinal axial direction during distribution. In this case, the above-described problem may arise.
When the user mounts the developing cartridge 2 to the image forming apparatus, and turns on the image forming apparatus, a supplying member mixes or agitates the developing agent to supply the developing agent in the developing cartridge 2. If the developing agent has become overly cohesive, the supplying member needs a force larger than the cohesive force of the developing agent to supply the developing agent. Therefore, the supplying member is overloaded so that a driving motor, disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus, to supply a driving force to the supplying member, cannot rotate.
No special measures have yet been taken to deal with the above described problems during distribution. Alternatively, a relatively large torque motor has been used to address the problem. However, this causes manufacturing costs to increase and compactness of the image forming apparatus to be lost.